President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is extending the pause on strikes of Iranian energy plants by 10 days, hours after stating Iran is “begging to make a deal” in the fourth week of Operation Epic Fury.
Shortly before entering the East Room of the White House for a Greek Independence Day celebration, the president took to Truth Social to announce the extension.
“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” he wrote.
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the president added.
Trump’s comments came hours after he told reporters that Iran desperately wants a deal to end the war.
“We estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve our mission; 26 days in, we’re extremely, really, a lot ahead of schedule. The Iranian regime is now admitting to itself that they have been decisively defeated,” he said.
“They’re saying to people, ‘This is a disaster.’ They know it. That’s why they’re talking to us, and they wouldn’t talk otherwise, but they’re talking to us because they’ve got a disaster on their hands. They’re defeated. They can’t make a comeback,” he said.
The president stressed that Iran has to make “the right deal.”
“They now have a chance to make a deal, but that’s up to them, and they’ll tell you, ‘We’re not negotiating. We will not negotiate.’ Of course, they’re negotiating. They’ve been obliterated,” he said. “Who wouldn’t negotiate?”
“They are begging to make a deal. We’ll see if we can make the right deal, and they make the right deal; then the strait will open up, Hormuz Strait will open up,” he added.
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